It lies on the A7 road between the towns of Castletown and Port Erin and close to the similarly sized village of Ballabeg.

[1] The village has a railway station on the Isle of Man Steam Railway and is home to Colby Glen, one of the seventeen National Manx Glens.

John Wesley preached at Balladoole in 1781, invited to do so by a local family.

Colby Wesleyan Methodist Chapel on Station Road was also built in 1833.

[3] Colby Glen is a small valley just north of the village, with ash, beech, elm, and sycamore trees.